The Washington critic., 1887-03-25
w WASHINGTON CRITIC
WASHINGTON, MARCH rs, tss7.
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Louis GlOb6. Democrat, referring, OF
course, to the social season, is an end.
less round of cardpoking and free
innching. Calls and visiting. cards fill
up the mornings. Calls, receptions
and visiting cards crowd the after.
Moons. Calls, receptions and visiting.
cards jam the evenings and the nights
until next morning of every day. If
every day were forty eight hours long,
"nd every week held fourteen days,
there would still not be time enough
for all the calls, receptions and visiting.
cards, breakfasts, luncheons, dinners
and teas, that constitute ones entire
existence, aim and occupation here.
But amid all this mobocratic maelstrom,
amid all this mad whirl Of the odds
and ends OF creation, one meets more
genuine celebrities, more dcservedly
famous men and women, more re.
nowned statesmen, soldiers, orators and
scholars; more rightful society queens,
old and young; more people worth
knowing and remembering, than In
any other city, or all other cities com.
bincd, In the new world. Washington
is the political and social capital of the
greatest republic on the globe. Every
national interest centers here. Every
phase of national life is represented
here. The brains and culture, the pa.
of a continent find common meeting
ground here.
#*#
"How on earth did such bright
fellow rs Garland come to live at such
q place as Hominy iIillY" asked an ad-
mirer of the Attorney. General of an Ar.
kansas traveller the other day in the
presence Of the New York Sun CORE.
spondent. "Its as bad as Podunk,
Kalamazoo, Kokomo, Oshkosh or Chat
ham Four Corners" "I'll tell you,"
said the other; "Hominy Hill Is not, as
everybody supposes. II town. It's an
old.time sacred name given the fam
Garland owns near Little Rock. Gar
land gets his mail at Little Rock, and
for all practical purposes is a resident
of that place. They worship him there.
There is queer story of how he hap.
pened to settle at that place. He was
living in Washington, little unthrifty
place, where his parents settled, when
he was admitted to the bar. 1t was no
place for q rising lawyer. One day
he astonished his office chum by ask
ing him to tic handkerchief around
his eyes. His friend complied. Gar.
land took pencil in his hand, stepped
up to map of the State, whirled his
hand around three times and jabbed
the pencil at the map. There, said
the young lawyer, unite this hard knot
and I'll tell you what am doing. I'm
sick of this town. I'm going to move
to where my pencil struck the map.
If It's town I'll practice law; II It's
country I'll farm 1t; If It's river III 60
to steamboating. The pencil had
struck Little Rock, and there he went.
A. ii. Garland has been just as fateful
and just as lucky as that all his life. ;"
~.
Says the Washington correspondent
of the Memphis Scimitar: A dainty
volume, bound in crimson plush and
edged with gold, lay yesterday upon @
desk In the office Of the Secretary Of
the Interior. Diagonally across one
cover ran IN silvered script the word
Autographs" A reporter whose
eye the glittering book had fas
einated, glanced within. "Grovei
Cleveland April 20-1ss5," was thu
disclosure of the first page, unpunct
uated, except for the dash after "2O, y
In characters small, unadorned and
perfectly legible, but surcharged with
energy, as If the pen had been driver
with hot speed. Next, as was fitting
came "Yours sincerely, Daniel Man
ming" in the handwriting of the trusty
eX-Counsellor Of the President, ,
script somewhat resembling thu
Presidents, but larger, heavier
uated but less legible. civilian
F. Villas, Postmaster General" an
nounced the succeeding page il
large letters, scrupulously punctua
ted, and the whole conveying an i'm
preston of elaborate care and precis
Ion. Truly yours, A. II. Garland,
was the next inscription, smal
and plain enough for child
to read, o comma carefully
placed after yours" and graceful
line curved neatly under the whole
IL. q. G. Lamar was the simple con
tribution of the Secretary of the Int
rior, in beautiful, clear penmanship
suggestive of hand which knew
neither haste nor rest. Bold, energetic
and full of Jeilersonian simplicity ap
peared the name of the distinguishes
Secretary of State, ct. Bayard," not
twist or curve to add the faintest sug
geslion of diplomacy. civilian c
Endicott," wrote the Secretary Of War
In easy lines of aristocratic neglige, ant
"William c. Whitney" was net twor
of fine, long and angular lines crowd
ing upon each other In impetuous pei
nell. Here" said Private Secretar
Hanna, "is package of sixty letter
begging for the Secretary's autograph
lie has answered hundreds of request
and will answer these when he get
time. He does so out Of gratitude t
the writers for not asking more.
w.
Cour,ing in the galleries of Congress
says the New York HerdhFs Washing
ton correspondent, has never ceased
be of frequent occurrence and often he
brought about marriages. 1t was
the gallery of the House of Represel
tatives that Mr.. Conger, then memb,
of that body, first met again after
long period of years, during which eac
had been married to another and b
come again free, the lady who has no
for some wears been his wife and
whom he had paid much attention b
fore either married at all. Not Ion
after the meeting in the gallery the